Changed For Good
by towenThoughts
Summary: Teddy and Owen
1. Chapter 1

Owen was walking through the halls of the hospital trying to find Teddy. Ever since they started working together in trauma he kept tabs on her. He wanted to be respectful of her space, but he also couldn't help wanting to know what she was up to, where she was, and how she was. He'd kept his distance, but ever since she started growing he couldn't help but want to get closer. He missed their friendship, and the ease, but he knew they'd get back to that eventually. Unfortunately by the time everything settled with Betty and Leo, and he realized how distracted he had been, Teddy was almost 8 months pregnant. He knew he hadn't been there enough. Besides work he didn't really know much about her personal life anymore except what she'd offer up in casual conversation. The other day he overheard she was looking at houses. He was happy she was putting down roots, but was also disappointed when she turned down his offer to move in with him. He realized in the moment he should have waited. After all, Tom was with her, and the offer came off casual. Ever since that conversation Owen couldn't help but imagine the four of them living together, but Teddy hadn't mentioned his offer, and he didn't want to push. "Have you seen Doctor Altman?" He asked the charge nurse in the ER. He had already roamed past the OR board, on-call rooms, cafeteria, attending's lounge, and most of the hallways he knew she usually roamed on her daily routine. But he searched with no luck. This was out of character for her to not be back in the ER right after her lunch. "No Doctor Hunt I haven't seen her since she took a patient to surgery this morning. Doctor Webber has been here for the past couple of hours. I assumed he was covering for one of you." It was actually Owen's day off, but he came in with the excuse that he needed to catch up on charting. In reality, he couldn't stand being at his house during the day. Leo stayed at child care on his days off as to not interrupt his schedule. He had been doing this for a while because his schedule kept fluctuating. And now he kept Leo's schedule that way because he knew Teddy could go into labor at any moment, and he wanted a set schedule for after the baby was here. He was nervously giddy, but also terrified to become a father of two soon. "Richard. Hey. Are you running the ER today?"

"Hi Owen. I am. Are you coming on shift?"

"I'm not. Unless you need help? Technically it's my day off, but I'm here..."

"Say no more Owen... I get it. I used to spend most of my time here even when I was supposed to be off, but we've got it under control. I'm supervising the interns." Richard gave Owen a wink and patted his shoulder.

Owen turned to the side, lining up shoulder to shoulder with him, "Richard- Can I ask- Have you seen Teddy?"

"Oh." Richard nodded. "That's why you're here. I haven't seen her perse- not since this morning in the elevator. But Bailey asked me to cover the ER for the afternoon."

The longer it took to find Teddy the more anxious Owen was getting. He ran off as soon as Richard ended the sentence. To find Bailey.

He fidgeted with his phone while in the elevator thinking about texting Teddy, but he decided to inquire about the situation with Bailey first. "Dr. Bailey! Owen breathlessly shouted from across the corridor when he saw her locking the door to her office."

He leaned on the side rail as she made her way towards him. "Doctor Hunt. What can I do for you? Towel?" She sarcastically questioned observing his flushed face, and droplets of perspiration glimmering on his forehead.

"Teddy. Have you seen Teddy?" Owen worriedly asked straightening his posture.

Bailey pulled him to the side. "Owen- I suggested she take the afternoon off after her surgery this morning. She was pale and seemingly restless. She protested the suggestion to go home, so I wanted her to go to OB, and get checked out prior to returning to the ER. That was about forty-five minutes ago."

"Thanks!" Owen shouted, turning away from Bailey, and jogging towards OB. Ever since Teddy's scare he was worried it would flare again. He assumed the worst. Kicking himself for not arriving earlier.

Owen's key card buzzed open the entrance open to OB, and he walked straight to the nurse's station, "Can I speak with Dr. DeLuca?"

"Hi Doctor Hunt, Dr. DeLuca is in with a patient."

Owen sighed- he could only assume the patient was Teddy, but no inclination of this was offered, and he wasn't paged so he couldn't interrupt. He walked down the corridor staring at the ground. He wished things had been different. If only he realized his behavior sooner. He kept trying to force thing in his life. Ever since Germany he thought he was losing everything. He kept clinging onto what he could control. Or thought he could control. He didn't take a step back and realize how parenthood changed him. Until it was too late. There was barely a fragment of time that he didn't have help with Leo from Amelia. Even prior to them living together again, she had helped him. He didn't know parenthood without her, and his emotions got caught up in all that. Hindsight. He thought to himself. They could never work, and instead of realizing this when Teddy came back he went back to the familiar life he had known prior to her arrival. Only realizing how big of a mistake this was after it crashed and burned. As much as Amelia's words hurt. She wasn't wrong. Everything changed when Teddy came back. But not because of the baby. Because it was Teddy. His love for her was undeniable. To everyone around him, but for some reason he kept making the hardest possible choices. He stopped and leaned against the OB wall. Maybe I should go to therapy he thought to himself. Like Megan said. Since Germany he hadn't felt like himself. Something was missing. He felt flat. Not depressed, but flat. Going through the motions. He was unbelievably happy with Leo, and the news of the new baby, but he got caught up in his routine and was starting to realize how much he was missing emotionally. He wanted to tell Teddy how he felt, but she was so happy, and smiling all the time. He didn't like Tom. But after looking back at the hurt she must have suffered coming back to Seattle he felt as if it wasn't right to impose his feelings. He loved seeing her smile again. Even if it wasn't him making her smile. He continued on his stroll of OB waiting for Carina. He turned the corner and saw her. Teddy. He exhaled in relief. She wasn't the patient with Carina. He slowly walked towards Teddy, and realized she was standing in front of the hospital nursery. He paused his steps. He could only see her profile from where he was standing. She was so beautiful. Her hair curled in a ponytail with pieces pulled down, framing her face. Her hand was resting on her bump as she peered into the window. His heart swelled. He walked towards her and guided his hand across her back to her opposite shoulder. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. "Owen," she knew it was him by his touch. She continued to look forward. "Bailey told you, huh?" with a soft tone. He turned his head towards the site of the newborn babies resting in their bassinets. "Teddy," he replied with a soft alike tone to Teddy's.

"The baby's fine." She rubbed her hand from the spot it had been resting up the curvature of her bump, and crossed her arms.

Owen turned his face towards her's. "What's wrong?" He softly prodded, knowing something was tearing at her thoughts.

She sighed. And headed towards the nearest empty private room. It happened to be small conservatory with a few chairs lining the wall and glass windows overlooking the greenery of Seattle. There was a small counter with a coffee pot, water dispenser, and an adjacent ice machine. The smell of coffee hit her nose as she walked in. She'd never been in this room before, but it was beautiful. A small hideaway she thought could come in use in the future. Owen followed her and closed the door. He sat down in the furthest chair waiting for her cues. She stayed standing, overlooking the view. Her arms crossed again. "They're so small." She stated, softly filling the silence. She kept her gaze forward. "They are." Owen agreed, clearing his throat.

Teddy moved her position, resting both her hands on her back, lining the top of her hips. "I put in an offer on a house yesterday." She confessed, releasing a puff of air from her cheeks. Owen moved his gaze towards his hands resting in his lap. He was disappointed.

"It has bay windows. And original hard wood floors."

He looked back up at her. Her right hand remained rested in the same position and her left was flailing in the air following her words. He loved it when she spoke with her hands, but usually it was when she was anxious. "The one with ghosts?" He concluded, trying to not show his disappointment in his inflection.

She turned towards him, and sat down a chair away, resting on hand on the arm of the chair and the other on her thigh, brushing her thumb near her bump. Turning her and resting her chin on her shoulder, "It's the closest to your's." She replied, blinking and pressing her lips together. "Owen…" "I feel so silly." shaking her head and returning her gaze forward, "I can't even get excited about her arrival because I'm so stressed." Closing her eyes as her voice began to break. "Hey," reaching out for her hand across the chair in between them.

"No- it's fine. It's fine." She said, shaking away the tears.

"Teddy- talk to me." he softly squeezed her hand

"No Owen- I'm not breaking down here. I can't. I need to keep moving forward. For her." Now rubbing her hand up and down her bump, attempting to ground her emotions. "I feel so guilty. This entire pregnancy I've had a whirlwind of emotions, and she can feel every one of them. It's starting to catch up with me, and her. I can feel it." Shaking her head. "This morning- it wasn't my incompetent cervix." Raising her eyebrows and shifting her position in the chair. "I just happened to toss and turn all night because," she paused, scratching her forehead.

The silence filled the room.

Caressing her hand, he asked, "Is it difficult to get comfortable?"

"No." "I mean- yes, it's becoming increasingly more uncomfortable for me, but it's not just that- I- I couldn't stop my mind from running." She said, getting up from the chair.

"I've been so distracted, I've been here for 29 weeks, and I haven't done one thing to prepare for my daughter. Our daughter."

"Hey- we have time" Owen assured her, getting up from the chair and walking towards her.

"We have six weeks! Six weeks. I have so much to do, and I'm so pregnant." her tone was frantic and she returned to the chair putting her hands to her face

Owen quickly followed and sat down in the seat closest to her

"I'll help you with everything. I'll be there every day. I'm- I'm sorry I've been so absent. Maybe if I had been there we would've started preparing earlier. I mean- it's unfair for you to have gone through so much of this alone. I'm so sorry, Teddy."

She lifted her head and rested it on his shoulder, "I miss you" she solemnly confessed.

"I miss you" he returned, leaning his head on her's

"So… What's first?" he inquired

"I want her to have a name." she determined, nodding her head and resting her hand on the spot she could feel her move the most,

"I- I don't think I've let myself completely bond with her." she sighed

"I've been so terrified of taking care of babies and stressed about nothing being settled. And, if I'm honest, I've been sad…" "I let myself imagine what it would be like when I got here, and I didn't recover when it all came crashing now" "I mean- I love her already, Owen, but it's tangled up in that night and our relationship being so different, strained, ever since…"

"I've been trying to compensate for my loneliness ever since…" "I don't know how to explain it"

"Is it as if you haven't felt like yourself? Since that night?" He suggested…

They both raised their heads and their eyes met

She nodded, "It's as if something went missing"

They were both changed. That night changed their relationship. They could no longer deny their feelings. That night's happiness and pain took something they could never get back, but it also gave them something.

Teddy released her hand and took Owen's, guiding it to their daughter's favorite spot of the day. She soaked up this moment, watching his face as he felt their daughter shift around inside her.

Soon after, he leaned over and whispered in Teddy's ear.

Her eyes told him all he needed to know, she approved. They had settled on a name. A name that meant so much to Teddy, and their story. He took her hand and kissed it.

They were finally figuring things out.

"Would you feel comfortable coming over to my house tonight? We could eat, talk some more stresses away, and I would love for you to properly meet Leo."

"I would love that, Owen"

to be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

"Ma'am… ma'am…"

Teddy jolted awake, realizing she had fallen asleep in the Lyft driver's car on her way to Owen's. She looked out the window, and it was nearly pitch black.

The only lighting came from a small light on Owen's mailbox.

She shook her head, trying to refocus her mind from the impromptu nap, and stepped out of the car.

"Hey!"

her body shook with fright,

"Owen! Are you trying to scare me? I'm so pregnant, I could go into labor!"

she joked, closing the door behind her

She could hardly make out his face. He was leaning on the back end of his blue truck a few feet up the driveway.

"Please don't, we've got some preparing to do before that…"

"Thanks! I had forgotten about that stress for a moment." as she took a step forward and heard the crunch of pebbles under her feet.

"Woah, woah, off-roading there…" He popped up and guided Teddy to the cement walkway.

"Ever thought about putting some lights out here?" she asked

"Who needs lights when you have the stars?!" Owen smiled

Teddy rolled her eyes. It was such an Owen thing to say.

"Although, I do have lights… I just- "

"I'm kidding- the stars are nice." she agreed. "Just help me up this hill."

Owen reached out, grabbing her arm and wrapping his opposite around her back.

"Who's watching Leo?" she questioningly asked as they made their way up the driveway

She was making an effort coming there, despite her apprehension of being at his house.

The last time she was there, Owen was with Amelia, and... She felt her nerves heighten with the thought of adding in a potential third party to this already uncomfortable situation for her.

"Leo is in his playpen for the moment. I have a camera where I can watch him." he extended his arm out in front of them, showing Teddy the screen

"Oh, right. They make those." Teddy was glad for the dim atmosphere, as she felt her face flush of embarrassment. Will this insecurity ever go away? She thought to herself.

Owen slid his arm up her back to the top of her arm, and gave it a light reassuring squeeze.

They arrived at his front door, and Teddy broke their connection. She felt her chest tighten with anxiety, looking at the ground as she waited for Owen to open the door.

"Can I take your coat?" He asked as they made their way into the front room.

"Uhhhh- " Teddy looked up, realizing both her hand were in tight fists in the pockets of her Trench. She relaxed them and assisted Owen with the removal.

She looked over to Leo who was absentmindedly playing with a toy keys.

"They really do entertain themselves, don't they?"

"Most of the time." Owen replied, staring at Teddy's profile, as she sat down on the sofa near Leo. Owen watched as she placed her hand on her bump without breaking her gaze towards Leo.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"I think so. What's for dinner?"

"Pizza.

It doesn't utterly repulse you these days, does it?" Owen inquired

"No. Why would you say that?" she said, leaning her back into the sofa and looking up at him.

"I was reading that you could crave things you never liked before, and may no longer like certain foods you did prior."

Teddy laughed, scrunching her nose, "Nope. The baby loves pizza too." She smiled.

"Good. I made it homemade. For you and her."

"What's her personality like?" Owen asked as they began to eat.

Teddy internally rolled her eyes. She thought it was a goofy notion to

theorize on a baby's personality traits while still in utero, but she played along.

"Well… she is a very active baby. Especially around her dad."

Owen looked up from feeding Leo, as Teddy took a bite of pizza.

"Don't just say that- "

"No! She really is!" Teddy assured, mumbling the words through her chewing.

She took a sip of water.

"She really is Owen. I don't know if it's coincidence or…"

she paused.

"I don't know, but she is definitely more active around your voice."

Teddy figured it's because her heart jumped every time she was around Owen recently, but she wasn't going to tell him this. Owen stirred up more senses in her than she'd like to admit at the moment.

"After we eat, can I feel?"

"You can feel right now if you'd like!" She hasn't stopped moving since I woke up from my car nap.

Owen scooted Leo's high chair around the round dining table, and sat on the chair next to Teddy.

She found it awkwardly charming that Owen didn't take his hand off her bump the entire meal. Feeding Leo with one hand and feeling their daughter move with the other.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I'll have to interrupt your hangout session with our daughter anyhow, as I make my way to the loo."

Owen stood up, and offered her his hand.

She obliged, and let him help her up.

When she got there, she rested both her hands leaning on the counter facing the mirror.

She felt nauseous. Her heart was racing. She wasn't sure if it was the house, or the proximity to Owen all night. She hated that she felt uncomfortable, or rather, too comfortable around him. Maybe it was the hormones, but after Germany she couldn't stop the feelings of attraction. Her body was burning with desire.

"Teddy. Do you two want some dessert?" she heard Owen say, muffled through the door

Teddy rolled her eyes. And lovingly rubbed her bump, "Your dad is such a softy when it comes to you. But mom is glad for the interruption." Teddy took a deep breath,

"Yes- Owen we'd love some." Playing along with his association with the word "two"

She walked out, and peered around the corner. She did have to admit that his house seemed different. She couldn't feel Amelia's presence anymore. Although, she stayed far away from the bedroom. She shook the thought away. "Dessert, Theodora. Dessert."

"Hey! Everything come out alright?" Owen asked.

"Shut up Owen!" She hated his boyish humor.

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked, as she took a seat next to Leo.

"What do you mean?" He said, turning his head, glancing at her, and quickly turning his attention back to the dessert.

"You only ever joke like that when you're nervous. Come on Owen, I know you. You can't get anything past me. Even when you try to hide it."

He carried the two small plates to the table. Sitting across from Teddy and Leo, he guided her plate across to her.

"You can't hide anything from me either. Even when you try." Looking up at her, and back down at his plate.

The two sat in silence, until Leo reached out his arm and grabbed Teddy's.

Teddy was taken off-guard, so much so, she almost fainted. Although this time she felt it was more the combined tension with Owen, than her fear of motherhood creeping up.

"You want some dessert too, Leo? We'll share ours." Teddy softly announced.

Owen looked up, and smiled at the sight. Teddy took a spoon from the center, and gave Leo a small taste. To which he puckered his lips at.

Both Teddy and Owen immediately burst into laughter at the cute sight of Leo's face and lemon flavor. Luckily Leo went along with the laughter, and started clapping. Teddy wiped his face.

"See. You're a natural." Owen softly exclaimed.

Teddy laid the napkin down, and continued eating her dessert. Looking down as her eyes began to glass over.

"Well they aren't as fragile at his age." she muttered.

"It's less scary when they are chunks, isn't it?" Owen replied, relating with her insecurity

Teddy reached her hand out to Leo, who wrapped his fingers around one of her's. Even with her apprehension, at the end of the day when she pictured their daughter her fears always settled for a moment.

"Can I hold him?" Teddy asked

"Of course."

She picked Leo up, and walked to the sofa with him. He played with a few strands of her hair, and she held his head to her chest as she sat down with him. He took to this position keenly, and his eyes quickly became heavy. His legs wrapped around her abdomen which propped him up so far that his feet barely rested on the top of the sofa

She rubbed his back, feeling his breaths in and out

She watched Owen as he cleaned the kitchen, and boiled water for tea.

Every time he moved to look over at them she quickly glanced down.

The tension came in waves. Their friendship carried the ease that it always had, but

the newly flamed desire wouldn't cease. Germany changed them. Their connection was finally consummated, and maybe it was the hormones, but she was now attracted to Owen in ways she couldn't calm.

Owen poured water into the electric kettle, and plugged it in. As he waited for it to boil he kept glancing over at Teddy who had Leo resting on her chest. Maybe it was because they just ate, but her bump looked bigger than he had ever seen it, Leo's bum rested on the top of it. His heart swelled as he watched her rub Leo's back up and down.

"Tea?" Owen offered

Teddy obliged, and took the mug from Owen's hand. He clearly wanted her to have some as he didn't ask if she wanted any prior to making it, and he wasn't drinking it. She found it funny how obviously subtle he tried to be.

She took a sip, and rested the mug between her two hands on top of her abdomen.

Owen could hardly handle the view. His best friend, his two kids. He stood staring at her until she said, "Want some?"

"Oh- no, that's for you." He sat down beside her and rub Leo's back. "Want me to take him?" he asked.

"No- that's ok. I'm ok here." she said, handing him the mug to which he laid on the sofa's accent table

"Owen?"

"Yes?"

They peered into each other's eyes.

"Listen- I know you come to work on your days off, and it's not actually because you need to catch up on charting." she whispered

he looked away and back at her

"I'm worried about you- " she added

He didn't say anything. He didn't know if it was appropriate to divulge the real reason. That he only came on his days off to distantly keep tabs on her. After all, as much as he hated it, she was seemingly happy with another man.

Instead, he decided to tell her that he was going to therapy. Which was true, but it had nothing to do with the extra hours

"And your hard day?" she asked

"I'm going to take him to his bed, and then we can continue? If you're up for it." He announced

Teddy nodded, and gave Leo a nonchalant kiss on his forehead

When Owen came back from laying Leo down he found Teddy with her eyes closed on the sofa, one hand on her bump and the other on top of it

He laid a blanket comfortably across her, and decided to let her rest. Her day was stressful, and full of emotions, "I love you. Both of you." He whispered, as he turned the light off, and laid down on the opposite sofa.

To be continued…


End file.
